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Got 15 Seconds For Some Self Love?

Self care. Self love. I’ve been trying to work on this for a while. Sometimes it seems too hard. Too many other things I ‘should’ be doing. Too tired. Not enough time, energy, money, self discipline…blah blah…excuses…

I’ve made self care lists… have a massage, a long bath, a walk by myself, a girls’ weekend. Things that often seemed too big or tricky to fit into my sometimes complicated life.

I felt like I ‘should’ do affirmations. ‘I love and approve of myself’ and all that but they just left me feeling squirmy, like I was telling lies. I know lots of people swear by affirmations but they haven’t been right for me.

One day in the midst of the morning rush, I was doing my usual glaring at myself in the mirror as I ‘slapped’ on some moisturiser. I realised I was almost literally slapping myself. I was being rough, harsh and heavy with my hands as I was critical about my skin – irritated, red, blotchy, flaky.

Stop.

I would never treat someone else I loved like that. Or anyone else at all for that matter.

I changed my touch. Lightened it. It felt different. On the inside as well. I kept going. Now I was caressing that cream into my skin. It truly felt like I was receiving some love. From myself. My head felt lighter. My heart felt fuller. And how easy was it…?

I’ve kept doing it as it feels sooo good. Sometimes I find myself starting off a bit roughly but with a minuscule amount of mindfulness I quickly come back to a gentle, kind touch. It seems to help me look at myself in the mirror with greater kindness and compassion as well.

So how long does this take? I timed myself this morning. 10 – 15 seconds. That’s it. And it’s something I was doing already so is not adding anything extra or ‘burdensome’ into my day. I didn’t have to say no to something else to fit it in. How good is that?!

Next time you’re putting on moisturiser, sunscreen, BB cream or whatever, pay attention to how you’re touching yourself (!). Try caressing your skin as you would a loved one or a small child. See how it feels. Inside AND out.

I now use making dinner as a bit of me time. I use to see it as a necessary evil that drained me. Now I have a music play list that goes on to support the emotion and energy I want at that time. I pour a glass of wine, dance my way through the cooking. Not only has it changed my attitude and emotion at that time and made daily cooking enjoyable but it changed my kids to. They see Mum being silly and relaxed which I think is really important.

Wonderful list hon. My quickies would be things like taking time at red lights to drink water instead of getting cranky at being later than planned, or taking 5 minutes to prep overnight chia oat breakfasts which I know are better for me than peanut butter toast.

What a lovely, simple tip Caz. Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror with approval, but a lot of the time I see myself frowning back. And I’ve turned make-up for work into a chore. So your simple tip is a great one!